Taking A Catnap
by Ilex the Elder
Summary: Ash and company find a baby Snorlax that Delia promptly adopts.
1. Chapter 1

****

Author's note: _Many thanks to Murgatroyd for providing the background on Professor Oak's teaching career. Also thanks to Llyxius for letting me borrow some inspiration from "Crazy Town (How to Handle A Midlife Crisis)"._

Ash, Brock, and Misty had just finished a pleasant lunch in Forsythia Village in Johto and were on their way to the next town.

"I can't decide if Officer Jenny in Forsythia is prettier than the one in Willow Town or not," a love-struck Brock sighed happily as he floated down the trail. 

As Misty rolled her eyes, Ash caught sight of something moving in the bushes ahead.

"Hey, wonder if that's a Pokémon?" Ash said as Pikachu, ready to do battle, hopped off his trainer's shoulder. 

The rustling grew louder, then a small catlike Pokémon stepped out of the bushes.

"Cat!" the little Pokémon said happily as it wandered over to Pikachu. The yellow electric Pokémon sniffed it curiously, then, deciding that the kitten Pokémon was friendly, started playing with it.

"Oh, what a cutie!" Misty gushed as Togepi leapt out of her arms and joined the other two Pokémon in a game of peek-a-boo.

"Wonder what kind of Pokémon that is?" said Ash as he consulted Dexter, his Pokédex.

"There is no data for this Pokémon," Dexter informed him.

"Johto has a lot of Pokémon that haven't been identified yet," Brock said as he watched the Pokémon play together. "Although this one looks familiar."

"Yeah, you're right, Brock," Misty agreed as she bent down to pat the gray fur on the Pokémon's back.

"Cat!" the Pokémon said as it turned on Misty and attempted to bite her finger.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Misty yelled as she quickly pulled her hand out of reach of the Pokémon's sharp teeth. "That wasn't very nice!"

"Cat!" the Pokémon continued, pointing to its open mouth.

"Oh, I get it," said Brock. "It's hungry." He reached into his backpack for some Poké Chow and carefully handed some of the nuggets to the Pokémon, who ate them greedily then pointed to its open mouth again.

"That Pokémon eats almost as much as you do, Ash," Misty teased as the Pokémon snatched the bag of Poké Chow out of Brock's hands and devoured the entire contents. 

"Cat!" the Pokémon continued as it threw aside the empty bag and pointed to its open mouth once more.

"I don't have any more Poké Chow," Brock informed the hungry Pokémon. "You ate it all."

The starving Pokémon, deciding that Togepi looked very much like an egg, reached over and proceeded to stuff the baby Pokémon into its mouth until only its feet were visible.

"Hey! Let go of Togepi!" Misty cried as she reached down and yanked her Pokémon out of the cat Pokémon's mouth. "Are you okay, Togepi?" 

"Toge-toge-piiii!" Togepi chirruped gleefully. It had enjoyed this new variation on their peek-a-boo game.

"Man, that thing eats almost as much as a Snorlax," Ash said as the Pokémon spotted some berries on a nearby bush and began stuffing them into its mouth.

"That's it!" Brock exclaimed. "That Pokémon looks just like a little Snorlax! Except that its fur is gray and white instead of black and cream."

"I don't care what it is, just keep it away from my Togepi!" Misty huffed as she wiped the saliva off of Togepi.

"Is there such a thing as a baby Snorlax?" Ash wondered as the Pokémon, now finished with the berries, began to yawn.

"I don't know, but I know someone who might know the answer to that," Brock said as the Pokémon flopped under the bush and started snoring. Brock bent over to pick up the snoozing Pokémon. "Man, for a little guy, he sure weighs a ton," he grunted as he lifted the Pokémon in his arms.

--- 

Meanwhile, back in Pallet Town, Professor Oak and his assistant, Tracey, were in the middle of compiling data for a research experiment when their next-door neighbor, Delia Ketchum, came rushing excitedly into the lab.

"Hi, Mrs. Ketchum," Tracey smiled at her. "What's in the bag?"

"Something for your boss," Delia smiled back mischievously.

"Looks like you've been out shopping," Professor Oak smiled at his pretty visitor.

"Uh-huh. I went over to the Viridian Mall and they were having a big sale today at one of the clothing stores. Matter of fact, the reason why I came over is because I found something for you and I want you to try it on," Delia said as she handed him the bag labeled "Hot Togz".

"Why don't we take a break, Tracey? We've been working hard on this project all morning and I'm nearly cross-eyed," Professor Oak said as he put down his pencil and reached for the bag in Delia's hand, letting his hand linger a few moments atop hers.

"Oh good," Delia said excitedly. "Why don't you go put these on and then model them for us?"

Professor Oak, who always enjoyed making Delia happy, smiled broadly at her, then headed down the hall to the bathroom. Ever since Ash had left on his Pokémon journey, Delia had been miserable without having someone to look after and fuss over. Since then, she had decided that her next-door neighbor was in need of some care and had transferred the attention she had previously lavished on Ash to him. Not that Samuel minded -- as a matter of fact, he very much enjoyed being the subject of Delia's affection. She cooked for him, cleaned up after him, took care of him when he was sick, fussed over him – and now she was buying him clothes.

"You're a lucky man, Samuel," he said to himself as he closed the bathroom door and opened the bag. 

--- 

"Are you nearly done in there?" Delia asked as she knocked on the bathroom door ten minutes later.

"Delia, I don't know about this," Samuel said hesitantly as he opened the door a fraction and peeked out.

"Come on, Professor. Let's see your new duds," Tracey said encouragingly.

Professor Oak, looking very uncomfortable, opened the door and stepped out into the hall. At the sight of his boss dressed in baggy blue jeans and a red shirt that had "HOTT LUVR" emblazoned on the front in huge bold letters, Tracey quickly clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from bursting out in laughter.

"Oh, good," Delia said as she admired her purchases. "I was worried that they wouldn't fit."

"You mean they're _supposed_ to be this baggy?" Professor Oak said as he tried to keep his new pants from falling off of his waist and onto the floor.

"Yes, that's what they're all wearing nowadays," Delia said. "Right, Tracey?"

Tracey sputtered in response.

Although he had to admit that the loose jeans did a good job of hiding the imperfections associated with a middle-aged body, Samuel wasn't sure that the crotch was supposed to be down around his knees. And the shirt…

"Delia," he said carefully, "don't you think that Ash might like these instead?" 

"Well, maybe," Delia admitted. "But they had these only in your size. And it was a fantastic deal, too…I spent only _three dollars_ on the entire outfit!" she said proudly.

__

I can see why, Professor Oak thought to himself as Tracey started turning red from trying to suppress his giggles.

"'Scuse me, Mrs. Ketchum," Tracey said as he bit his lip. "I just remembered something…in the lab." Tracey raced down the hall and collapsed in laughter as soon as he made it through the doorway of the laboratory.

"I hope Tracey's all right," Delia said as she heard the sound of guffawing echoing down the hallway. "He looked like his stomach was upset."

"Delia, it's not that I don't dislike the outfit…" Samuel began. 

"Oh good," Delia said as she reached into the other bag she was carrying. "Because I almost forgot the hat." She plunked a gold and black baseball cap on his head, then turned it around backwards. "There. Now it's perfect!"

Samuel caught sight of his reflection in the hall mirror. 

__

Oh my God, if any of my colleagues saw me now…

Just then, the video telephone in the lab rang. As soon as Tracey (who still hadn't stopped laughing) caught sight of his boss looking like a fifty-year old teenager, he fell out of his chair. Giving his assistant a dirty look, Samuel picked up the phone.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought I dialed Professor Oak's number," Ash apologized a man dressed in a baseball cap and a shirt with the words "HOTT LUVR" appeared on the videophone's screen.

"Ash, this is Professor Oak," the man replied as he took off the baseball cap.

Ash, Misty, and Brock were shocked into stunned silence.

"Uh, are you feeling okay, Professor?" Brock finally spoke up.

Misty, who couldn't contain herself any more, moved off-screen and began laughing hysterically.

"Hi, honey!" Delia said as she pushed Professor Oak aside. 

"Mom? What are you doing there?" said a surprised Ash.

"I went out shopping this morning and found Professor Oak some new clothes. Do you like them?" she asked as she put the baseball cap back on her companion's head.

"Uh, they're definitely different," Brock replied as he tried not to fall apart like Misty, who now had the hiccups from laughing so hard.

"And I didn't forget you, honey," Delia smiled as she reached into her shopping bag. "I bought you something, too." Ash gasped as his mother pulled out three pairs of underwear emblazoned with bright red Poke balls and held them up to the video screen. "I know that old underwear of yours must be getting pretty ratty. You _are_ changing your underwear every single day, right?"

Ash choked and his face turned crimson with embarrassment. At the sight of the underwear, Brock abandoned his attempts to contain his laughter and joined Misty, who was now writhing in hysterics, on the floor.

"Why did you call, Ash?" Professor Oak asked as Delia went to check on Tracey, who had hit his head when he had fallen off of the chair and now had a huge bump over his left eye – but was still laughing.

"Well, we found a Pokémon this morning and we can't figure out exactly what it is. We were hoping you could tell us what it is." Ash "oofed" as he picked up the Pokémon that was snoozing on the floor under his chair. "Man, you're heavy!" He held up the still-snoozing Pokémon in front of the video screen. "Have you ever seen anything like this before? Brock thinks it's a baby Snorlax."

Professor Oak studied the Pokémon and had to agree. Its fur was paler than that of an adult Snorlax, but the pattern of coloration was definitely the same. The body shape was similar too, although the Pokémon that Ash was struggling to support was barely the size of one of an adult Snorlax's toes. 

"Yes, Ash, I agree with Brock. That Pokémon does look a lot like an immature Snorlax, although I can't recall anything about the existence of a pre-evolutionary form. Where did you find it?"

Ash, whose arms were now shaking from the effort of holding the Pokémon up to the screen, dropped the Pokémon in a heap onto the table next to him. "We found it in the woods just outside of Forsythia Village."

"Were there any more of them?"

"No, Professor. Not that we…Hey, guys, will you be quiet? I can't hear Professor Oak!"

"S-s-orry, Ash," Misty sputtered. "T-t-ell him –hic- that we LUV his shirt!" Misty then started giggling uncontrollably again.

Professor Oak, who had overheard Misty's comment, felt his face going red. "Anyway, Ash, I'd love the opportunity to study your new Pokémon. Or are you planning on training it?"

"I can't keep it, Professor. I already have six Pokémon. And I don't think Misty wants it because it tried to eat Togepi earlier. Brock, do you want to keep it?"

Brock, who was busy wiping the tears out of his eyes, shook his head. "I'd like to raise it, but I don't think I have enough Poké Chow for it and the rest of our Pokémon."

"Well then, why don't you place it in a Poké ball and send it over?" suggested Professor Oak.

"Okay," said Ash. "Hey, Brock, give me one of your balls."

This comment sent Misty into the next level of hysteria. She started turning purple and clutched her sides. "Oh…oh…hic…stop! I can't take any –hic- any more!" 

Ash gave her an annoyed look. "Girls are so weird." 

Brock, who had also found Ash's remark quite amusing, stopped laughing long enough to toss Ash one of his empty Poké balls.

"Okay, baby Snorlax or whatever you are, return!" The Pokémon disappeared inside the ball with a flash of red light. Ash stepped over Misty's convulsing form, placed the Poké ball inside the chamber of the Poké ball transport device sitting in the far corner, pressed a button, and the red-and-white ball disappeared. 

The ball materialized a second later in the Oak laboratory. 

"Got it, Ash. It's here," Professor Oak reported as he reached over and picked up the Poké ball.

"I'm gonna take Misty across the street to Poké Burger to get her a drink of water," Brock said as he helped his hiccuping friend to her feet.

"I'll be there in a minute," Ash replied as his friends left the Pokémon Center. 

"Don't worry, Ash. I'll take good care of your Pokémon," Professor Oak reassured him.

"Professor, is my mom still there?" Ash said.

"She's at the other end of the lab attending to Tracey," Professor Oak replied. "Want me to get her?"

"No! I mean, that's okay, Professor," Ash said hastily. "I just wanted to ask you if Mom had bought you any underwear, too. When did she start buying you clothes?"

Professor Oak's face reddened further. "Well, uh…I think your mom's been kind of lonely lately since you started your Pokémon journey and she's been looking for someone to take care of. And since we're neighbors, it's natural that she should…"

"Oh, I don't mean that, Professor. I just wanted to warn you that she always bought me some really weird stuff when I was growing up. Once she bought me this sweater that had all these cutesy Pokémon on it like Eevee and Vulpix."

"Eevee and Vulpix? Well, that doesn't sound too bad…"

"Professor, that was _last year!_ I just wanted to say that I'm glad she's buying clothes for you now instead of me." 

"Don't forget your underwear, Ash," Professor Oak said as he picked up the boxer shorts covered with Poké balls and waved them in front of the video screen.

Ash gulped and quickly hung up the phone.

"Oh, I didn't get a chance to say good-bye to Ash," Delia said as she put an ice pack on Tracey's bump and walked across the room back to the video phone. "What's that?" she asked curiously as she caught sight of the Poké ball Professor Oak was holding in his hand.

"Let's find out, shall we?" He tossed the Poké ball into the air and a catlike Pokémon the size of a Pikachu appeared in a flash of bright light. 

"Oh, look at that! It's so cute!" Delia gushed as she scooped up the snoozing Pokémon and discovered that it was a lot heavier than it looked. "Cute, and very heavy."

The Pokémon opened its eyes and regarded Delia happily. "Cat! Cat-nap!"

"Oh, you're cute and smart, too!" Delia, still cradling the Pokémon in her arms, said as she toppled backwards onto the couch. 

"Cat-nap!" the baby Pokémon said as it regarded her with big brown eyes.

"Catnap? Is that your name?" Delia cooed as she tickled the Pokémon's round belly. 

The Pokémon nodded and snuggled against Delia's bosom. 

"Seems like it really likes you, Delia," Professor Oak chuckled as he watched the two interact.

"Oh, Catnap is so sweet! He's just like a little baby," Delia said as she tickled the Pokémon's chin. She was smitten.

Catnap opened its mouth and pointed to it.

"Oh, you're hungry, aren't you?" Delia said sympathetically. "Samuel, go find Catnap something to eat. Bring me a bottle and I'll feed him."

Professor Oak turned to his assistant. "Tracey, go see if we have some Pokémon formula in the back."

Tracey, who by now had gotten used to the sight of his boss in the ridiculous get-up, hopped off his chair and headed down the hall. Professor Oak turned around and was surprised to see Delia take Catnap's thumb and insert it in its open mouth. 

"I wish I had a pacifier," Delia said as she stroked Catnap's head. "But your thumb will have to do right now, won't it, Catnap?" The thumb sucking temporarily soothed the hungry Pokémon and it cuddled against Delia contentedly. 

"You certainly do know how to handle Catnap, Delia," Professor Oak smiled as he watched Delia rock the Pokémon back and forth gently.

"Oh, Catnap is so adorable," she smiled. "I wouldn't mind raising him myself." Tracey came back into the room and handed Delia a large bottle filled with formula. "Thanks, Tracey." Delia popped the bottle into Catnap's mouth and the Pokémon began drinking it eagerly. As soon as it had finished, Delia expertly laid the Pokémon across her shoulder and patted its back until a huge "BURRRPPPP" shook the room. "There. Now you feel better, don't you, sweetie?"

"Sweetie?" Tracey mouthed in Professor Oak's direction.

Catnap, now through with its lunch, sighed contentedly, closed its eyes, snuggled against its new mommy, and immediately fell asleep.

"Well, I guess I'd better get Catnap home and see if I can find Ash's old crib," Delia said as she struggled to her feet. "He's probably too big for the basinette."

"Delia, what…?" Professor Oak exclaimed in astonishment as Delia headed for the doorway. "Where are you going?"

"I'm taking him home," Delia repeated. "Catnap's all tuckered out and needs to get some sleep."

"But Delia," Professor Oak said as he followed her out the door. "Catnap is a Pokémon, not a baby. I was going to give him an examination and then run a few tests."

"You can do that after he has a nap," Delia called back as she headed down the hill to her house. "And Samuel, Catnap _is_ a baby – a baby Pokémon."

As Professor Oak watched Delia and her new adopted baby head down the road to the Ketchum house, Tracey came running up. "Professor, you'd better hurry! You're going to be late for your lecture at Celadon University."

Professor Oak looked at his watch and gasped. "Oh no! The lecture is _today_?!" He dashed back up the hill to his garage.

"Professor! Wait! Your clothes!" Tracey called out, but it was too late -- Professor Oak was tearing out of the garage at top speed. "Oh well, guess he'll find out when he gets there."


	2. Chapter 2

"And now, presenting the latest in our guest lecturer series, I'd like to introduce you to Professor Samuel Oak. Professor Oak received his Ph.D. in Pokémon Physiology from the University of Johto and is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Pokébiology here at Celadon U. He's a well-known figure in the world of Pokémon research and has a long and distinguished career as both an instructor and researcher. He is responsible for the discovery of several new species of Pokémon, which is the topic of his talk today. He currently resides in Pallet Town where he conducts research at his own private laboratory. Please help me welcome Professor Oak." As the audience of students and instructors in the packed auditorium began to clap, a nervous-looking Professor Oak stepped up to the podium. Several of the students giggled at the sight of the baggy-looking jeans underneath Professor Oak's lab coat.

__

Thank goodness I had an extra lab coat in the car, he thought as he quickly ducked behind the podium.

"Thank you, Professor Hawthorn," Professor Oak nodded to the man who had just introduced him. "Well, as my old friend said, I'm here today to tell you about some of the exciting new discoveries being made in the world of Pokémon. Matter of fact, just before I came here, I learned of the existence of a new Pokémon."

"Why don't you tell us all about it, Professor?" Professor Hawthorn asked. "I'm sure that my Advanced Pokébiology students would love to hear about your latest discovery. Especially since there's going to be a question on Professor Oak's talk on next Monday's final exam."

As several students in the audience groaned, Professor Oak proceeded to tell the crowd about Catnap. Since the 100-year old auditorium wasn't air-conditioned, it didn't more than a couple of minutes for him to start sweating profusely. The heat from the stage lights above the podium also added significantly to his discomfort, and ten minutes into his talk he began to feel a bit lightheaded from the heat. He wanted desperately to take off his lab coat, but if he did, then everyone would learn that Professor Samuel Oak was a "HOTT LUVR" – not really the image of the distinguished scientist he wanted to project to his audience. And he couldn't really move from behind the podium either; he already had seen the reaction his baggy pants had elicited. He was trapped. The best thing to do now was to hurry up and finish his talk as fast as he could and get back into his air-conditioned car.

"Well, that's all I know so far about Catnap. Are there any questions?" Professor Oak said as he wiped the sweat off his brow with the sleeve of his lab coat. His heart then sank as he saw Professor Elm's hand go up -- he knew his former student could ramble on for hours.

"Yes, Professor," Professor Elm said as he stood up. "I'm very interested in your hypothesis that Catnap is the pre-evolutionary state of Snorlax. As I'm sure you remember from the paper I did for your graduate-level Pokébiology class on my hypothesis that mammalian Pokémon undergo a different type of evolution than non-mammalian ones such as Pidgey and Goldeen…"

Ten minutes later, Professor Elm was still talking and still hadn't asked his question yet. 

__

Shut up, shut up, shut up, Professor Oak silently pleaded as he felt his knees buckle and knew that in a moment he was going to pass out from the heat. 

"Are you all right, Sam?" Professor Hawthorn asked with concern as he saw his friend slump against the podium.

"Whoa, I'm sorry, Professor Oak," Professor Elm said as he leapt up on stage. "I didn't realize that my theory on the evolution of Elekid to Electabuzz would shock you so much."

"I'm okay," Professor Oak murmured as he waved his two colleagues away. "It's just a little hot in here, that's all."

"You'd better take that lab coat off then," Professor Hawthorn said as he grabbed one sleeve and indicated for Professor Elm to do the same.

"No! Don't…!" Too late. The entire auditorium erupted in laughter at the sight of Professor Oak's shirt. 

"Sam, are you _sure_ you're feeling all right?" Professor Hawthorn asked at the sight of his distinguished colleague dressed as a hip-hop rapper.

"Uh, Halloween isn't for another five months," a wide-eyed Professor Elm said. "Although Nurse Joy might get some ideas if I had a shirt that said that on the front…"

"Come on, Sam," Professor Hawthorn said as he helped his friend to a nearby chair. "Professor Elm, why don't you fill in and tell everyone about your hypothesis about evolution in electric Pokémon while I take Professor Oak outside for some fresh air?"

Professor Elm, delighted beyond belief at the dean of the Pokébiology Department at Celadon University asking him to do a presentation, leapt up eagerly and continued to ramble on about Electabuzz and Raichu while Professor Hawthorn helped his friend outside into the adjacent hallway.

"You know, Sam," Professor Hawthorn said as he propped his friend up against the wall and handed his colleague a glass of water. "You don't have to explain about the clothes."

"What do you mean, John?" Professor Oak asked as he took a sip.

"I went through the same thing a few years ago. A mid-life crisis is normal in men our age." He looked around and whispered conspiratorially. "Just don't overdo it on the Viagra."

Professor Oak's eyes rolled back in his head, and he fainted dead away.

--- 

After tossing his new shirt in the garbage can outside the Celadon University auditorium (although he did decide to keep the pants – he decided that with a belt they would be perfect for hiding the slight paunch he had developed over the years), Professor Oak headed back to Pallet Town. After Tracey gave him an odd look (he didn't exactly expect his boss to be coming home from his lecture without a shirt), Professor Oak headed upstairs to put on some more normal clothes and was in the lab when there was a knock at the door.

"Catnap's here for his checkup," Delia announced.

Samuel turned around and nearly fell over at the sight of the Pokémon in a baby stroller. 

"Don't lose your pacifier, sweetie," Delia said as she popped one into Catnap's open mouth. "I found some of Ash's baby things," she smiled at an incredulous Professor Oak. "But he was a bit big for Ash's old baby clothes." With some difficulty, she lifted her "baby" out of the stroller and put him on the examination table. "Okay, sweetie, don't be afraid," she reassured her Pokémon. "Professor Oak is a very nice man and won't hurt you. He just wants to make sure you're healthy." 

__

Can this day get any crazier? Professor Oak thought as he searched for his medical instruments. "Okay, Catnap, why don't we get started? How about I take a look at your ears first?" At the sight of the otoscope, Catnap shuddered and started clinging to Delia. "But I didn't do anything yet," Samuel insisted as he watched Delia comfort the frightened Pokémon.

"It's okay, Catnap," Delia reassured her Pokémon as she cuddled him. "And it's okay too, Samuel. Ash was the same way when he was a baby. He was always scared of going to the doctor. I discovered that the best way to make Ash less scared was to let the doctor examine me at the same time. That way he knew exactly what was going to happen next."

At the mention of "let the doctor examine me at the same time", Samuel's eyes lit up. 

__

Well, this day may turn out all right after all, he thought as he flicked on the otoscope. "Okay, Catnap. Why don't you watch me examine Delia…"

"Mommy," she corrected him.

Samuel gave her a disbelieving look. "Uh…Catnap, why don't you watch me examine your mommy and then I can examine you? Would that be all right?"

The Pokémon peered cautiously at Professor Oak from the shelter of Delia's arms and then nodded.

"Okay, honey, watch Mommy," Delia said as she hopped up on the examination table next to her Pokémon. "Okay, Samuel, go ahead and take a look at my ears." 

"You have very nice ears, Delia," he smiled as he looked inside her ear. He was standing so close to her that he could smell her perfume and feel her hair tickling his cheek. Doctoring humans was definitely more fun than doctoring Pokémon. 

"Now it's your turn, Catnap," she said as she turned to her Pokémon. "And don't worry. It actually kind of tickles."

"Your ears look fine too, Catnap," Professor Oak said as he examined the Pokémon's furry gray ears. "Shall I look at your eyes next?" Catnap nodded and let Professor Oak proceed with his examination.

"My turn," Delia said as soon as he was done with Catnap's eyes. 

"Your eyes remind me of those of a Vulpix," Samuel smiled as he gazed into the depths of Delia's eye. "Soft, brown, sparkling. Very pretty."

Delia giggled. "I bet you tell that to all your Pokémon patients, don't you?"

"Just the pretty ones," he chuckled. "Now let's take a look at your throat. Open wide." Delia opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. "Very nice, Delia. Everything looks fine. And you have the prettiest teeth I've ever seen...in a human or Pokémon."

"Well thanks, Samuel," she giggled. "Now it's Catnap's turn."

"Okay, Catnap, let's have a look at your…" There was a sharp _crunch_ as Catnap opened its mouth and took a bite of the tongue depressor. Deciding that it wasn't very tasty, the Pokémon made a face and spit it out. "Well, he does have a very healthy appetite," Samuel remarked as he examined what was left of the tongue depressor.

"He sure does," Delia agreed. "Matter of fact, why don't you listen to his tummy and hear what's going on in there?"

"Okay," Professor Oak agreed as he took out his stethoscope and listened to Catnap's chest while Delia watched anxiously. "Well, Delia, everything sounds fine. Heart and lungs are normal. And now," he said with a mischievous grin, "want me to check you out?"

"Shall I take off my shirt?" Delia asked. 

__

This really is a fantasy come true, Samuel thought excitedly as Delia unbuttoned her sweater and took it off. But then he remembered that Tracey was still around. 

"Uh, I think your sweater will be fine," he said as he placed the stethoscope on her chest. 

__

Oh geez, now he's playing doctor with Mrs. Ketchum. Tracey rolled his eyes as he came into the lab, saw what his boss and Mrs. Ketchum were up to, then quickly turned around and left.

"How does everything sound in there?" Delia asked.

"Everything's great. Fantastic," he said as he stared at her breasts. "And your heart sounds fine, too."

He reluctantly removed his stethoscope from her chest. "Now Catnap, why don't you let me feel your tummy to make sure everything's okay in there?" 

Catnap, who by now had decided from observing his mommy's reaction that Professor Oak was someone who made people feel good, let Professor Oak examine his belly.

"Everything feels normal, Catnap. And now it's your turn, Delia," Professor Oak said eagerly.

"Guess I'd better pull up my shirt a little so you can feel everything," Delia said as she laid down on the examination table and lifted her shirt to reveal her midsection. "Ooh! That tickles! Samuel, you have the best hands!" Delia giggled as he examined her abdomen.

In the other room, Tracey shuddered. From the sound of things he wasn't sure he wanted to hear more of what was going on between his boss and Mrs. Ketchum.

"If I didn't know better, Samuel, I'd say you were having more fun examining me than Catnap," Delia said with a teasing smile as she pulled her shirt down and sat up. 

Professor Oak's face turned bright red – Delia's observation had been right on the mark. "Uh…it's just that it's so interesting comparing the anatomy and physiology of humans and Pokémon," he stammered in an effort maintain some semblance of a professional demeanor. "I don't really get to do many comparative studies in my research."

"Well, you do have Tracey," Delia said. "Maybe you could use him for your studies."

Tracey, overhearing this remark, fled down the hall.

Professor Oak turned to the Pokémon that was watching him curiously. "Well, Catnap, all that's left now is for me to get a blood sample and then we're through for today."

Delia's smile faded. "Oh. That means needles, doesn't it?"

"Oh, don't worry, Delia. I won't use any needles on you," he reassured her as he located a syringe.

"Yes, but I don't think Catnap will like it very much," she said as she pulled her Pokémon close to her. "Ash always cried whenever the doctor gave him a shot or had to take some blood."

At the sight of the syringe that Professor Oak was now holding, Catnap gasped and huddled against Delia. 

"You know, Delia, I think Catnap's picking up on your nervousness," Professor Oak said as he tried to coax the frightened Pokémon away from its mommy. "Wait, I have an idea. Tracey!" 

Tracey cautiously peered around the doorway and was rather surprised to see that his boss and Mrs. Ketchum still had their clothes on. 

"Oh, there you are, Tracey. Why don't you come over here and hold Catnap while I draw a blood sample? Catnap may be less frightened if you hold him."

"Okay, Catnap," Delia said as she patted the Pokémon's head. "Mommy's right here. Be brave. It'll only hurt for a moment."

"Okay, Tracey, hold out Catnap's arm," Professor Oak said as Tracey moved to the other side of the examination table to gently restrain the Pokémon. Unfortunately, Catnap, who by now was feeling quite hungry, spotted Tracey's thumb and thought it looked rather tasty.

"Gahhhhh!" Tracey yelped as Catnap crunched down on his thumb. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Tracey grabbed his injured thumb and started hopping around the room in pain.

Professor Oak, now finished with taking Catnap's blood sample (Tracey's yelling had proven to be an adequate distraction for the Pokémon), went over to his injured assistant and examined the bite marks on Tracey's thumb. "They're pretty deep, Tracey, but I don't think you'll need any stitches. Go wash that off and you know where the bandages are." 

Cursing under his breath, Tracey went into the next room to clean up his wound.

"Well, that's all for now Delia, although I would like to do some more tests on Catnap some other time," Professor Oak said as Delia picked up her Pokémon and buckled it into the baby stroller.

"Right now, I've got to get him home to eat," Delia said as she popped the pacifier into Catnap's open mouth. "You saw how hungry he is."

As Delia and Catnap left, Tracey, thumb now swathed in bandages, came back into the examination room. "Professor, how much longer until dinner?"

"Not for another hour, Tracey," he said as he handed Tracey a spray bottle of disinfectant. "I'm going to analyze Catnap's blood sample first."

"Well, for some reason, I'm starving," Tracey said as he began cleaning the examination table. "I feel like I could eat everything in the refrigerator."

"Do that and you won't have any room for supper," Professor Oak said as he peered through his microscope. "You do remember that we're going over to Delia's house for dinner tonight, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure I can wait until then," Tracey said as he finished cleaning the table and headed down the hallway to the kitchen.

Forty-five minutes later, Professor Oak went in search of Tracey and found him in the kitchen, surrounded by plates and boxes of food.

"Tracey, what on earth…?"

"I can't help it, Professor," Tracey said between bites as he polished off a carton of chocolate ice cream topped with an entire bag of chocolate-chip cookies. "For some reason I can't seem to stop eating. It's like I'm suddenly hungry all the time. Cookie?"

"Uh, no," Professor Oak said with an astonished look in Tracey's direction. "Just clean that up and let's get going to Delia's place."

"Oh good!" Tracey said enthusiastically as he stuffed an entire banana in his mouth. "Dinnertime!"

--- 

"Slow down, Tracey," Delia said as her young guest stuffed the entire contents of the breadbasket in his mouth. "You'll get sick if you eat too fast."

"Can't help it, Mrs. Ketchum," Tracey mumbled with his mouth full. "I'm so hungry and all this food looks so good!" He took a huge drink of his milk and then got started on the green beans that Mimie had just placed on the table.

"Tracey, I don't want to have to perform the Heimlich maneuver on you," Professor Oak said as the boy shoveled a large spoonful of green beans into his mouth.

"Well, it's good to see a growing boy enjoy his food so much, isn't it, Catnap?" Delia said as she fed her Pokémon (who was wearing a bib and sitting in Ash's old high chair) a bite of baby food. "Open wide, sweetie. Here comes the choo-choo!"

"Delia, Catnap is capable of feeding himself," Professor Oak told her. "And he doesn't need to eat baby food. He can eat the same food you and I eat. Why don't you feed him some of these green…?" He then saw that Tracey had eaten the entire bowl of green beans and had now started on the sweet potatoes.

"But Catnap wuvs his baby food, doesn't he?" Delia smiled as her Pokémon nodded happily in agreement. "And you wuv your moo-moo, don't you?" Delia said as she handed Catnap a sippy cup while Mimie watched the whole scene jealously.

Professor Oak watched in disbelief as Catnap proceeded to drink from the toddler cup. "Um, Delia…I know that you enjoy taking care of Catnap, but he's…"

Catnap, now finished with his milk, began to look uncomfortable. Delia immediately jumped up and took him out of his high chair. "Do you need to go potty, Catnap?"

Professor Oak's mouth dropped open. "_Go potty_?" 

Tracey, who had his head buried in the bowl of mashed potatoes, looked up. "No, I don't need to go yet, Professor."

Professor Oak got up from the table and followed Delia into the bathroom.

"Okay, Catnap, now stay there until you go poo-poo," Delia said as she put her Pokémon on the toilet seat.

"Delia, Pokémon don't use the potty!" said a disbelieving Professor Oak.

"Why not? Mimie does," Delia said as she handed Catnap a picture book to read.

"Yes, but human-type Pokemon like Mr. Mime and Jynx are more inclined to mimic human behaviors," Professor Oak explained as he watched Delia help Catnap turn the pages of the alphabet book. "Catnap is a cat-type Pokémon."

"Some people let their cats use the toilet, don't they?" Delia replied as she pointed to one of the pictures in the book. "See, sweetie? 'F' is for 'Flareon'."

"Yes, but…"

"…and 'G' is for 'Goldeen'."

"Delia…"

"…'H' is for 'Horsea', and 'I' is for…Oh! Good boy! You went in the potty! Now you won't have to wear those diapers anymore!" 

"Diapers?!"

"Yes, it's so hard finding diapers in Catnap's size," Delia smiled as she helped her Pokémon off of the toilet. "But now you can use the potty, just like a big boy! Isn't that wonderful, Samuel?"

Now Professor Oak didn't want to hurt Delia's feelings, but someone had to tell her that Catnap wasn't a toddler. "Um, Delia, what are you going to do when Catnap gets bigger?"

"What do you mean, Samuel? Oh, be sure to wash your hands, Catnap." She held her Pokémon's paws under the running water and handed it a bar of soap. "Got to get rid of all those nasty germies!"

"Delia, if Catnap tries to use the toilet when he gets to be a Snorlax, don't you think he might…well, be too heavy for it?"

"Oh, that's true," Delia said as she dried off Catnap's paws and the three headed back down the hall to the kitchen. "He might break the toilet, won't he? I never thought about that."

"Perhaps you should…" Professor Oak stopped in mid-sentence, and he and Delia gasped in astonishment. When they were in the bathroom, Tracey had eaten every bit of food on the table and was now licking the platter that had held the roast beef clean.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Guess I was a little hungry."

---

"Boy, I don't think I've ever seen Togepi eat so much," Misty said as she watched her little Pokémon down an entire apple and then proceed to eat a banana.

"Guess playing in the fresh air is good for Togepi's appetite," Brock said as he ate a French fry.

"Mine, too," Ash said, taking a bite of his second cheeseburger. "I wonder how that baby Snorlax is doing at Professor Oak's place?"

"Hope it wasn't too traumatized by Professor Oak's clothes," Misty giggled.

"Like I said, I'm glad Mom's buying him clothes now and not me," Ash replied.

"You forgot about your underwear, Ash," Brock teased. "I didn't know you liked Poké balls so much."

"Shut up, Brock, Ash snarled as he hurled a French fry in his friend's direction. Togepi leapt up and caught it in its mouth.

"You are hungry today, aren't you?" Misty said as she gave Togepi one of her own fries. Togepi ate it, then proceeded to devour every one on her plate.

"Maybe Togepi's eating so much because its getting ready to evolve," Brock theorized. 

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Misty exclaimed. "My very own Togetic!" 

"Hey! Get off of my burger!" Ash cried as Togepi leapt up and started taking bites out of Ash's burger.

"Togepi, don't listen to him," Misty said as she handed Togepi her own hamburger. "You eat as much as you want so you can grow into a big, strong Togetic."

--- 

Later that evening, Professor Oak was examining the analysis of Catnap's blood sample.

"Bibs, high chairs, potty…." he mumbled to himself as he shook his head.

Tracey, who was in the middle of eating an entire box of crackers, came into the lab.

"Tracey, are you _still_ eating?" Professor Oak said in amazement as he looked up from his work.

"Yeah, I'm still feeling a little hungry," Tracey replied. He then poured the rest of the crackers in his mouth and threw the empty box into the nearby garbage can. "Is that Catnap's blood sample?"

"Yes, it is, Tracey," Professor Oak replied as he handed him the readout.

"Anything interesting?" Tracey asked as he pulled a chocolate bar out of his pocket.

"Actually, there is. There are high levels of one compound called esurin."

"Esurin? Isn't that what makes a Snorlax eat so much?" Tracey asked while he shoved the candy bar into his mouth.

"Yes, which further supports the theory that Catnap is a pre-evolutionary form of…" A light bulb clicked on in Professor Oak's head. "Wait a second. Tracey, when did you start feeling hungry?"

"Right after Catnap nailed me on the thumb," he replied as he finished his chocolate bar.

"Oh no! And esurin is also found in the saliva of Snolaxes, which means that it's also likely in Catnap's saliva, too. Tracey, that's why you've been eating so much! When Catnap bit you, the esurin in his saliva got into your bloodstream!"

"So you're saying that I'm eating like a Snorlax because Catnap bit me?" Tracey said in amazement as he started downing a bag of jellybeans.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Professor Oak said as he snatched the bag of candy away from his ravenous assistant. "The problem is that I don't know how long the effects of esurin last in humans. And there's no antidote as far as I know."

Tracey snatched back the bag of jellybeans and began eating handfuls of them. "So you're saying that I'm gonna keep eating until all the esurin gets out of my bloodstream?"

"Looks like it, Tracey," Professor Oak replied as Tracey dumped the whole bag of jellybeans in his mouth. "Although I'd like to make some observations and take some notes on your behavior. There might be a research paper in this."

"As long as you keep feeding me," Tracey replied, swallowing the huge lump of candy, "I'll do whatever you want."


	3. Chapter 3

Early the next morning, Professor Oak was awakened by the sound of groaning from Tracey's room.

"Tracey? Are you all right?" Professor Oak asked as he knocked on his assistant's door then peeked in.

"I think the esurin wore off," Tracey moaned uncomfortably while he clutched his hugely distended stomach. "I don't think I've ever eaten so much in my whole life. My stomach's killing me."

Professor Oak, noticing that Tracey's face was a pale shade of green, moved the wastebasket next to the boy's bed. "I think you'd better stay in bed today, Tracey. I'll get you some medicine for your stomach and bring you up some soup later."

"No food…no more food…" Tracey groaned as he leaned over the wastebasket and started to retch.

Professor Oak left his vomiting assistant and went downstairs to find some stomach elixir. As he searched through the medicine cabinet, the videophone rang. 

"Hello?" he said as he picked up the receiver.

"Samuel, can you come over here for a second?" a worried-looking Delia asked. 

"Well, Tracey's not feeling well and I've got to take care of him and all the Pokémon right now, Delia. What's going on?"

"Uh, Catnap's…I think you'd better see for yourself." 

She turned around the video screen to reveal Catnap, who was nearly double the size he was yesterday, standing in Ash's old baby crib.

"My gosh! It's almost as if Catnap grew overnight!" Professor Oak said as he stared in disbelief at the video screen.

"Catnap!" The Pokémon waved at him then pointed to its mouth.

"That's another thing, Samuel. Catnap won't stop eating…and I don't much food left after Tracey got through with dinner last night. At least Catnap's a good baby and sleeps all through the night, so I didn't have to get up and feed him or anything. But ever since he got up this morning, he's eaten everything in the…" A loud _crunch_ made her whirl around in time to see Catnap take a bite out of one of the crib rails. "Catnap! No! Stop that!" she scolded. "Anyway, please hurry over here as soon as you can."

"Catnap!" the Pokémon said as it spit out the wooden rail and pointed to its mouth again.

"All right, Delia, stay calm," Professor Oak reassured her. "I'll be over there as soon as I can."

Delia was in the middle of feeding Catnap anything she could find in her kitchen when Professor Oak knocked on her back door a half-hour later.

"I brought all the Poké Chow I could find," he panted as he lifted one of the fifty-pound bags out of the wheelbarrow he had brought down from his house.

"Catnap!" The Pokémon eagerly tore into one of the bags and began gulping down the brown pellets.

"Guess Catnap does need to be eating Poké Chow instead of baby food," Delia observed as Catnap rapidly downed the bag of Pokémon food.

"Delia, as much as you'd like to take care of him, at the rate Catnap is growing, it won't be long before he'll eat you out of house and home. Why don't you let me take him back to my place? He'll be much happier at the preserve," Professor Oak said.

"But I don't want him to go," Delia protested. "He may be big, but he's still just a baby."

A moment later, Catnap stopped eating and began to grunt uncomfortably. The Pokémon stood up and headed for the bathroom.

"Delia, I know you enjoy having someone to take care of again, but…"

A loud _crash _made both of them jump. Racing down the hall, Delia and Professor Oak opened the bathroom door and found Catnap sitting atop what was left of the toilet. Water was running in every direction.

"Oh no! My toilet! Grab the towels, Samuel!" Delia yelled as she yanked the bath towels off of the towel rack and threw them on the floor. "Mimie, hurry! Bring me the mop!"

Mimie, who had a satisfied smile on its face, took its time on its way to the broom closet.

--- 

"Is Togepi going to be all right?" Misty asked Nurse Joy anxiously as she came out of the treatment room.

"Don't worry, Misty," Nurse Joy reassured her. "With a good rest, Togepi will be just fine."

"But what's wrong with Misty's Pokémon?" Ash asked.

"It seems that Togepi has a tummy ache," Nurse Joy said as she removed her examination gloves and made some notes on Togepi's chart. "What did it have to eat recently?"

"Well, Togepi had some oatmeal for breakfast yesterday and a hamburger for lunch," Misty began. "Then we left Forsythia Village and headed back here to New Bark Town for dinner. At the restaurant, Togepi ate an apple, a banana…"

"Half of my hamburger," Ash grumbled.

"The rest of my burger," Misty continued. "Most of my fries, half of my vanilla milkshake, some strawberry ice cream…"

"Half a bag of Poké Chow," Brock added.

"The rest of our peanut butter and jelly," Ash whined.

"A box of raisins…"

"My candy bar…"

"A bag of trail mix…"

"The rest of our chocolate chip cookies…"

"Whoa! Whoa!" Nurse Joy said as she held up her hands. "No wonder Togepi is so sick. You shouldn't let a Pokémon that little eat so much."

"Speaking of which, I'm hungry," Ash said. "Got anything to eat?"

"Morning, Nurse Joy," Professor Elm said cheerfully as he came into the Pokémon Center. "Hi, kids. What are you doing here?"

"Togepi is sick, Professor Elm," Misty informed him.

"Oh dear. Will it be all right?" 

"Togepi will be fine, Professor," Nurse Joy smiled at him. "What brings you here?"

"Hey, that shirt looks familiar," Brock said as he noticed that Professor Elm was wearing a red shirt with the words "HOTT LUVR" on the front.

"Do you like it?" he said eagerly. "I found it in the trash can outside of the Celadon U. lecture hall yesterday." 

Ash, Misty, and Brock all gave him a funny look.

"More importantly, do _you_ like it, Nurse Joy?" Professor Elm smiled broadly at her.

"Well, it's certainly different from what you normally wear," a highly amused Nurse Joy smiled back.

"Is that the latest fashion craze for professors?" Ash whispered to Brock.

"Maybe both Professor Oak and Professor Elm have been working too hard," Brock whispered back.

--

An hour later, Delia and Samuel had cleaned up the mess in the Ketchum bathroom and were hanging up the water-soaked towels outside. Catnap, his belly now full, was snoozing under the nearby Pokéberry tree in the garden.

"Well, I guess I can use the upstairs toilet until I can get a new one," Delia said as she hung another towel on the clothesline. "How much do toilets cost, anyway?"

"Forget about that now, Delia," Professor Oak said as handed her a clothespin. "I think the best thing to do right now is take Catnap back with me to the lab."

Mimie, who was helping hang up the wet towels, gave Professor Oak a hopeful look. He was jealous of all the attention Delia had been giving to her new Pokémon lately.

Delia looked over at Catnap, who was now sucking on its thumb contentedly. "But, look at him, Samuel. He's just a baby," Delia said as he lower lip started to tremble. "He'll miss his mommy. _I'll_ miss him." 

"Oh Delia," Samuel said as he gave her a reassuring hug, "It's not as if he'll be far away. Catnap will be right next door. You can visit him anytime you like."

Delia wiped away a tear and gave him a sad smile. "Okay."

"I think I'll need a Poké ball for this," Samuel said as he removed one from his pocket. "I know there's no way I'll be able to lift him."

"And he's way too big for the stroller now," Delia said, nodding in the direction of the mangled mass of metal sitting on the back porch.

"Okay, Catnap, let's head back to the lab." He aimed the Poké ball and Catnap disappeared inside with a flash of light.


	4. Chapter 4

"Well, what do you think, Catnap?" Professor Oak asked as he got the Pokémon settled in a shady corner of the Pokémon preserve surrounding his lab.

"Catnap," it said happily as it reached up and began munching some berries from a nearby bush.

"Guess Catnap really does belong here," Delia said as she watched her Pokémon eat. 

A rustling in the nearby woods made everyone turn.

"Snorlax," rumbled the huge black and white Pokémon as it stepped out of the forest. At the sight of Catnap, it sniffed it curiously then gave it a big hug.

"Looks like you don't have a thing to worry about, Delia," Professor Oak smiled as Snorlax picked some berries that were out of Catnap's reach and handed them to the smaller Pokémon. "I think Snorlax is going to take care of Catnap for you."

"It was nice having someone to look after again," Delia said wistfully as she watched Catnap eat the berries. "I've missed that ever since Ash left."

"Don't be sad, Delia," Professor Oak said as he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "There's still someone around here who needs to be taken care of."

"Oh, that's right!" Delia said as her face brightened. "You said Tracey wasn't feeling well. I'll go check on him and see if he needs anything."

"But I meant…" Professor Oak called out to her as he watched Delia scamper up the hill back to the house. "…me." 

--- 

"Now you drink every bit of that medicine and then get some sleep," Delia ordered as she spoon-fed Tracey some stomach elixir and then put a cold cloth on his forehead.

"How are you feeling, Tracey?" Professor Oak asked as he came into the boy's bedroom. "Your stomach doesn't appear to be as distended as it was earlier."

"That's because everything that was in it is either now in the toilet or in the wastebasket," Tracey said weakly. 

"Poor thing's been throwing up all day," Delia said sympathetically. "Tracey, if you feel like eating anything later, I'll make some broth for you."

"No food…no more food _ever_," Tracey moaned.

"Why don't we let Tracey get some rest?" Professor Oak suggested as he took Delia's arm. 

"Let me know if you need anything, Tracey," Delia said as she and Professor Oak left and headed downstairs. "I hope he doesn't have anything serious like appendicitis or something. Maybe I'd better go back upstairs and sit with him for a little while."

"He'll be okay in a day or two, Delia," Professor Oak reassured her as he grabbed her arm. "He just has a bad case of overeating, that's all. Besides, I'm in more need of someone taking care of me right now."

Delia giggled as he pulled her into his arms. 

Samuel then cursed under his breath as the videophone rang. "Hang on, I'll be right back."

"Hello?" he said as he picked up the receiver.

"Hi, Professor," Ash said. "Looks like Mom didn't get you any new clothes today."

"Hi, sweetie!" Delia said as she shoved Professor Oak aside. "How are you?"

"I'm okay, Mom," Ash replied. "Professor Oak, we just talked to Professor Elm and he's really interested in that baby Snorlax we sent you yesterday."

"He is?"

"Yeah. He said that after that lecture you gave at Celadon U. yesterday, he'd really like to talk to you. He wants you to give him a call."

"I'll do that, Ash. And thanks for the information."

"Oh, yeah. Did you know that Professor Elm has a shirt just like yours now? He said he found it in the trash can outside of…"

"Sorrygottago, Ash," Professor Oak said quickly as he hung up the phone and dialed Professor Elm's number.

"Why did you hang up so fast?" Delia asked, puzzled.

"Uh, because there's no time to lose in helping a colleague with his research," Professor Oak said hastily as Professor Elm appeared on the screen. "Hello, Robert, how are…" His voice trailed off at the sight of his young colleague dressed in a shirt that said "HOTT LUVR" and a pair of boxer shorts adorned with little red hearts. 

"Uh, could you call back some other time, Professor?" Professor Elm said anxiously. "I'm kind of…"

"That looks just like the shirt I bought for you, Samuel," Delia said. "Where did you get that, Professor Elm?"

"Oh, I found it in the garbage can outside of the lecture hall at Celadon University. I guess Professor Oak didn't want it any more after his lecture."

Surprised, Delia turned to her companion, who was starting to sweat nervously. "I thought you said you _liked_ the shirt I got you, Samuel." 

"Okay, Rob, it's time for your physical," said a female voice off-screen.

"Are we interrupting something?" asked Professor Oak, who was trying to avoid Delia's glare.

Just then, Nurse Joy, dressed only in a lab coat, came into view behind Professor Elm. 

"Hello, Nurse Joy," said a surprised Professor Oak.

Nurse Joy's face turned as red as her hair. "Uh, hi," she squeaked as she jumped behind Professor Elm.

Professor Oak's eyebrow's shot up. "Uh…since it looks like you two are in the middle of something, I'll make this quick. Ash called a few minutes ago to say that you were interested in getting some more information about Catnap."

"Uh, yes, after your lecture yesterday I wanted to talk to you, but Professor Hawthorn said you weren't feeling well and had already left. Anyway, I'd be interested in collaborating with you on your research about Catnap since the Pokémon was found in Johto."

"Certainly. Hang on just a second. I'll go fax over some of my notes and analytical data from yesterday," said Professor Oak as he went into the other room. 

"I'm heading over to the fax machine now," Professor Elm said as he disappeared off-screen, leaving the two women alone to have a conversation.

"Are you and Professor Oak dating?" Nurse Joy asked Delia curiously.

"We have been seeing each other for a while," Delia replied.

"Could you answer me something?" Nurse Joy said in a low voice.

"If I can."

"When the two of you are…together, does he say things like how you make him hot like a Magmar or that you have legs like a Rapidash?"

"Oh, does Professor Elm say things like that, too?"

"Well, yes. I thought it was a little strange."

"Oh, don't worry about that. Samuel once told me that I had a nice pair of Jigglypuffs."

Nurse Joy giggled. "Oh no! Robert told me that I had a great pair of Milktanks!"

Delia started laughing. "I think all scientists must use the same pick-up lines. My favorite one was when Samuel told me that looking at me made him tingle all over like a Raichu's Thundershock." 

"Rob told me that I made him harden like a Metapod," Nurse Joy whispered conspiratorially.

"That's nothing," Delia whispered back. "Once Samuel told me that I made him feel like he had an Onix in his…" 

"Okay, I got it!" Professor Elm said triumphantly as he appeared on-screen again with the fax. At the same time, Professor Oak returned.

"Did you ladies have a nice conversation while we were busy?" Professor Oak asked.

"It was very…enlightening," Nurse Joy replied with a smile in Delia's direction.

"Anyway, I'll review the data you sent and get back with you later," Professor Elm said as he watched Nurse Joy head back to his bedroom. "Oh, and thanks for the shirt, by the way. It definitely gave Nurse Joy some ideas."

As the screen went black, Samuel, who was frantically trying to think of an excuse for ditching his new shirt, turned to face Delia. 

"If you didn't like the shirt, why didn't you just say so, Samuel?" Delia asked.

"Well, it's just that you were so happy about the great bargain you got and I didn't want to disappoint you," he explained with a sheepish look in her direction. 

"Then should I not buy you clothes anymore?" Delia said with a disappointed expression.

"Oh no, Delia," he reassured her as he took her in his arms. "I love having you take care of me. It's just that I'm not really the baggy shirt type. I did keep the pants, though."

"You did?"

"I figure that all they need is a belt and they'll be perfect…just like you," he smiled as he kissed her. "You know something," he said as he pressed her closer. "You make me feel as young as a Ponyta."

"Do I make you as hot as a Magmar?" Delia teased.

"Oh yes," he said with a naughty grin.

"And do you think I have a nice pair of Milktanks?" 

"Milktan…where did you hear that one?"

A loud _whoosh_ outside interrupted their snuggling. Racing outside, Samuel and Delia found Snorlax desperately trying to hang onto Catnap, who was in the middle of being sucked into a vacuum that was being operated by a blue-haired teenage boy and a red-haired teenage girl.

"We've got you now!" James said eagerly as he cranked up the vacuum's suction another notch.

"The Boss is gonna pay us big bucks for a rare Pokémon like dis one," said Meowth as he clung to the vacuum hose.

"Let Catnap go this instant!" Delia demanded angrily as she started running towards the Meowth-shaped balloon hovering overhead.

"Sorry Twerp's Mom, but we're in the middle of taking a Catnap," Jessie said as she helped Meowth hang onto the vacuum's wildly swinging hose.

"And we don't want to be disturbed," James added.

"So why don't the two of you blow on outta here?" Meowth said as he went over to the controls, flipped the reverse switch, and sent Catnap flying. 

"Catnap!"

Snorlax ran underneath the falling Pokémon, and Catnap bounced off of its friend's enormous belly and landed safely on the ground. Meowth then aimed the hose in Delia's direction. As the blast of air knocked her off her feet, she tumbled backwards into Professor Oak, and the impact of her head colliding with his knocked both of them out.

As Team Rocket started laughing, Catnap went over to Delia and shook her shoulder. "Catnap?"

"Oh, don't worry about her," Jessie sneered. "She'll be all right. Meanwhile, you're coming with us." 

As Jessie aimed the hose in the Pokémon's direction and hit the switch labeled "suction", Catnap stood up and faced down Team Rocket with an angry glare. "Catnaaaaaap!!!" Suddenly, the Pokémon's body was enveloped in a burst of white light.

"What th'?" James exclaimed as Catnap disappeared and a moment later a Snorlax appeared in its place.

"Uh-oh," said Meowth. "I don't think the vacuum can handle a Snorlax."

"Snorlax!" snarled the Pokémon formerly known as Catnap as it grabbed the vaccum's hose. With one hard tug, it pulled Team Rocket and their balloon crashing down to the ground. 

"Yahhh!" screamed the trio in unison as the pair of Snorlaxes picked up the balloon and together sent it hurtling into space. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

"Snorlax?" Delia mumbled as she opened her eyes and saw two huge black and white catlike Pokémon hovering over her. 

"Oh, my aching head," muttered Professor Oak as he regained consciousness. Seeing two Snorlaxes standing over to him, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief. When he heard Delia moan next to him, he rolled over to check on her. "Delia? Are you all right?"

"Samuel, I think I must have a concussion or something. I'm seeing two Snorlaxes instead of one," Delia said as she sat up and rubbed the back of her head.

"Then I must have a concussion too, because I also see two Snorlaxes," Professor Oak said as he slowly sat up. He winced as he felt the bump on his forehead from where the back of Delia's head had collided with it. 

"Snorlax!" said the paler of the two Pokémon happily as it picked up Delia and gave her a big hug.

"Snorlax, I love you too, but I'm getting squished," Delia said as she tried to wiggle out of its crushing embrace. "And I've got to find Catnap."

"You just did, Delia. Catnap evolved into a Snorlax while we were unconscious," Samuel told her as he slowly got to his feet. "When he saw Team Rocket threaten you, he evolved in order to protect you."

"Oh Catnap," Delia said as her eyes started to swim with tears of joy. "Thank you, sweetie! Thank you so much for saving me."

"Snorlax," the Pokémon sighed contentedly as its mommy hugged him back.

--- 

"Now you just lie there on the couch, and I'll bring you an ice pack for that nasty bump of yours," Delia said as she fluffed a pillow and placed it under Samuel's head.

"Delia, you got bumped on the head too," he protested as he got up and made her lie down on the couch instead. "I think you need to lie down and I'll get you some ice."

"Snorlax," said the huge Pokémon as its came into the living room carrying two ice packs. It handed one to Delia, then handed one to Professor Oak.

"Oh thanks, honey," Delia said as she put the ice pack on the back of her head. "Thanks for helping take care of Mommy and Professor Oak. Now why don't you go upstairs and see if Tracey's feeling any better?"

"Snorlax," the Pokémon nodded as it headed up the stairs.

"I think Tracey's going to be in for a surprise when he sees what Catnap looks like now," Samuel said as he sat down on the couch next to Delia. 

"Even though he may be a big Snorlax now, he's always going to be my little baby Catnap," Delia sniffed. "It was nice having another baby to take care of again."

"Well, there may be a way for you to have someone to take care of again," Samuel said as he put the ice pack on his forehead.

Delia's eyes lit up. "Are…are you serious, Samuel?"

"Of course I am. I see how much you enjoy taking care of others."

"Oh thank you, sweetheart!" Delia cried happily as she flung her arms around him. "I'd love to have another baby! Although we should probably get married first."

Samuel's eyebrows shot up as he dropped the ice pack on his foot. "A _baby? Married_? Delia, wait a min…" He had been referring to himself.

But Delia was too caught up in her daydream to listen to him. "Oh, I can see it now…the two of us having a little baby of our own! It will be so cute, especially if he or she has your eyes."

"Delia, uh, I don't know about having another child at my age. I mean, I'm already a grandfather…"

"Oh, that won't be a problem. After all, I'm still young enough to have another child. Or two. Or three."

"_Two? Three?_ Delia, I don't know if I'm going to be able to…"

"Although we probably should get started right away since my biological clock is ticking."

"_Right away?"_

"Yes. It may take a little bit longer for us to conceive since I'm older now than I was when I got pregnant with Ash, but I don't think you'll mind trying, will you?" She winked and nudged her still-shocked companion in the ribs.

"No, of course not, but that's not the…"

"Oh, I'm going to hurry home right now and get the rest of Ash's baby clothes out of the attic!" Delia said excitedly as she jumped up from the couch and headed out the door.

Samuel groaned and put the ice pack back on his head.

THE END


End file.
